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epochal

adjective

ep·​och·​al ˈe-pə-kəl How to pronounce epochal (audio)
ˈe-ˌpä-kəl
1
: of or relating to an epoch
2
: uniquely or highly significant : momentous
… during his three epochal years in the Assembly.C. G. Bowers
also : unparalleled
epochal stupidity
epochally adverb

Examples of epochal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Now, in an epochal recurrence that would have pleased George Mackay Brown, Structure 10 had been sealed up again. Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 Chinese thought leaders conceived of the strategy in epochal terms. Alex Wang, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025 In many ways, the 1963 Newport Folk Festival was a set-up for the March on Washington, the epochal Civil Rights demonstration that would take place just one month later. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025 That carbon remains sequestered in the lower mantle for epochal lengths of time; some of it eventually erupts back into the atmosphere via volcanism. Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for epochal

Word History

First Known Use

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of epochal was in 1685

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Cite this Entry

“Epochal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epochal. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

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